Convertible couch



June 14, 1938- J. w. BowERsox ET AL 2,120,663

CONVERTIBLE coUcH Filed sept. 14, 1956 3 Sheets-Sheet l WIK/67H07@ Eme M, m38. 1W, BOWERSOX E-.AL www CONVERTIBLE CVOUCH Filed Sept. 14, 1936 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 jd?? 70755? f' mwmm 14V Mfg. mi

Jun@ Mp we J. W. owERsox Er AL @mw CONVERTIBLE COUCH Filed Sept. 14, 1936 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 Patented June 14, 1938 UNITED STATES PATENT orties CONVERTIBLE' COUCH Joseph W. Bowel-sox, Kansas City, Mo., and Stephen J. Blaha, Hinsdale, Ill., assignors to Superior Felt and Bedding Company, a corpo ration of Illinois vApplication. September 14, 1936, Serial No. 106,622

2 Claims. (Cl. 5-18) The present invention relates to couches of the couch closed, and the dotted lines showing it type comprising two sections of which one secpartially opened; Fig. 3 is a view similar to Fig. tion may be stored' under the other, be with 2, showing the couch completely opened and the drawn to produce a wide bed, or be entirely disback cushion lying fiat on the normally concealed A connected and separated from the other section; section; to serve as a mattress therefor; Fig. 4 '5 and has for its objectv to produce a simplified conis aY top plan view, on a larger scale than Figs. struction which will provide a couch., a doubler l-S, showing the couch open; Fig. 5 is an end bed, or single beds, all bed high, without requir- View, on the same scale as Fig. 4, parts being ing any raising or collapsing of either section broken away to expose other parts normally conor any other cushions o1' mattresses than a single cealed; Fig. 6 is a section on line E- of Fig. 5, 1"(5'3 seat cushion and a single back cushion. no part of the mattress-supporting fabric on the In carrying out our invention, we so construct second or under section being shown; Fig. 'l is a the framework of the two sections that the seat section on line 'l-l of Fig. 5,v illustrating the section is open on the rear side throughout its manner of connecting one leg of the backrest l5 entire length and for a height reaching from the to the main framework of the second or under f5 floor to approximately the plane of the under section of the couch; and Fig. 8 is a section on a side of the seat cushion. The second section still larger scale, on line 8-3 of Fig. l, showing comprises arigid framework as high as the height only fragments of the back cushion and the back of the opening in the rear side of the seat secrest, together with a means` toY tie the top of the 202 tion will permit in a structure which must enter back cushion to the back rest when the couchis 20* the chamber in the seat section through such closed.

opening and be housed within the same. The Referring to thedrawings, A represents the parts are so proportioned that when the two secmain or seat section of a two part couch; this tions are housed one within the other, that is, section comprising a box-like structure open at TIL when the couch is closed, there remains behind the bottom and at the rear side. In the arrangel 2gb the seat cushion aledge or shelf on which a back ment shown, the end and front walls, IY and 2, cushion may beV placed onY edge. This back respectively, of section A extend toa short discushion is of such thickness that when the couch tance of the oor and are covered on their outer` is opened by pulling forward the seat section to sides with fabric 3 in harmony with the fabric Srexpose the normally housed section, the back on the seat cushion or mattress ll. The upper 3W.

cushion, when laid upon the latter section, serves part of the box-like structure, on which the'seat as a mattress, the top' of which is substantially cushion rests, may conveniently be a metal frame level with the top of the seat cushion. Thus, 5 of'structural steel", below the two'rear corners the seat cushion serves as the mattress for one of which are vertical legs Si integral therewith or A section, and the back cushion as a mattress for fixed thereto. The section B may conveniently 35 the other section. Since the seat section may comprise a top l, front legs and rear legs 9, initially be bed high, and since nothing is resuitably joined' and braced; the dimensions of the moved from above the seat cushion in making up structure being such that it may be housed within a double bed or a pair of twin beds, the seat the seat section. The seat section may be prozlo-isection remains bed high at all times. Also, since vided with casters ill, while the legs 9 of the the back cushion is deep enough to make the second section may rest directly on the oor.

second section bed high when laid flat thereon, This will permit the seat section to be pulled forthe double bed or the two twin beds into which ward while the other section remains stationary. the couch may be transformed, are also bed high. The top members 5 and 'l of the frame struc- 4.5v The various features of novelty whereby our tures of the sections A and B are preferably coninvention is characterized will hereinafter be nected together in such a way that the long edges pointed out with particularity in the claims; but, of the two sectionsy will remain parallel when for a full understanding of our invention and of the couchis opened and while it is being closed its objects and advantages, reference may be and which shall, at the same time, permit the had to the following detailed description taken two sections to be readily disconnected from each 50 in connection with the accompanying drawings, other if it be desired to use them as separate or wherein: twin beds. In the arrangement shown, this con- Figure l is a front elevation of a couch emnection consists of an equalizing device in the bodying the present invention; Fig. 2 is an end form of'two bars Il and I2 of equal lengths, cross- View `of the couch,. the full lines showing the ing each other and pivote-d together at the middle 55 as at I3. One end of the bar Il is pinned. to the top frame 5 of the section A, as indicated at I4, while its other end has a pin I5 extending down through a longitudinal slot I6 in the front member of the top frame 'l of the section B; the bar' II overlying this frame member. The bar I2 has at one end a pin extending through and adapted to move lengthwise of a longitudinal slot I'I in the top frame 5 of section A, while its other end is provided with a pin I 8 that extends down through a hole in the front member of the frame 'I of section B. By lifting the rear ends of the two bars, the pins I5 and I8 may be freed from the frame member 'I so that there is no longer any connection between the two couch sections, and they may be moved entirely apart from each other.,

Spanning the length and width of the opening bounded by the frame 'I of section B is a suitable mattress-supporting fabric I9, upon which may be laid the cushion that normally forms the back of the couch.

It will be seen that the end walls I of the section A project rearwardly a considerable distance beyond the rear edge of the seat cushion. Normally, when the couch is closed, as shown in full lines in Fig. 2, a long, thick back cushion 20 iits down behind the seat cushion and may lie between upwardly projecting portions 2I of the rearward extensions on the end walls of main couch-section A. Consequently, if the couch be placed against a wall, there will always be room behind the seat cushion for the reception of a marginal portion of the seat cushion standing on edge. When the couch is open, as indicated in Fig. 3, the back cushion is caused to lie upon the section B, causing the couch to be transformed into a double bed as high as the seat of the couch when the couch is closed.

The couch is preferably provided with a back rest so as normally to give it the appearance of a davenport by holding the back cushion upright and in intimate contact with the rear edge of the seat cushion. This back rest may consist simply of a long bar or tube 22 bent into a flattened U the distance between the free ends of the arms of which is equal to the length of the couch section B. This back rest may be detachable. In the arrangement shown, the back rest is formed from a long angle iron suitably bent; one flange of each leg of the back rest lying flat against the rear face of one of the legs 9 of the section B. Each such flange is provided with a pair of headed pins 23 projecting forwardly therefrom and adapted to enter keyhole slots 24 in the adjacent leg 9. To attach the back rest to the section B the pins on each leg are simply brought into registration with the large ends of the keyhole slots in the corresponding leg of the section B and, after these headed pins have been entered in the slots, the back rest is pushed down so as to bring the heads on the pins behind the narrow parts of the slots.

While the structure is being used as a couch, the back cushion may be temporarily fastened along the upper edge thereof to the top rail of the back rest. In the arrangement shown, as can best be seen in Fig. 8, the back cushion is provided with one or more straps 25 adapted to be passed around the top rail of the back rest. The meeting parts of each strap may be fastened together in any suitable way as, for example, by a snap fastener such as indicated at 2E.

The space enclosed by the legs and the horizontal part of the back rest 22 may be spanned `by a suitable yieldable metal fabric or combined fabric and bracing means 21, secured to the back rest in any desired way so as to form a support across the length and width of the back cushion when the latter is standing on edge in front of the back rest as in Figs. 2 and 8.

In order that the back cushion may automatically assume a substantially horizontal position, as indicated in Fig. 3 and in dotted lines in Fig. 5, when the couch is opened, we provide the section A with a rearwardly projecting shelf-like support along the rear' and just above the plane of the top of the frame member I of the section B. When the couch is closed and the back cushion is set in place, in an upright position, it rests on the shelf-like rearward extension. By properly constructing the shelf-like extension, the back cushion will not easily slide off the same when the seat section is pulled forward and, consequently, the lower end of the back cushion will be drawn forward as the couch is opened, and the upper end (assuming that it has been unfastened from the back rest,) simply slides down the back rest until the center of gravity is carried far enough forward to allow the cushion to drop down and lie flat; the dotted line construction in Fig. 2 illustrating the cushion in an inclined position after a partial opening of the couch.

This shelf-like support for the back cushion may take any desired form. In the arrangement shown, there are a pair of brackets 28 secured to the box-like frame structure of the seat section on the rear side, near the two ends of the couch, these brackets having horizontal arms extending rearwardly just inside of the rearward projections of the end walls I, I. Between the horizontal arms of these two brackets, in the arrangement illustrated, there are two metal straps 29 and 36. The strap 29 is quite narrow while the other strap is considerably wider. Both straps lie with their broad faces horizontal; the strap 29 is riveted or otherwise fixed to the brackets at its ends; and the strap 36 is also connected to the horizontal arms of the brackets, but through the medium of coiled tension springs 3l. The strap 29 is near the seat cushion and also close to the forward longitudinal member of the top frame 'I when the couch is opened and therefore need not be yieldable to the same extent as is the strap k3l) which lies farther back. In other words, the strap 3&3 may serve as a yieldable support for the forward marginal portion of the back cushion when the latter lies ilat, thereby preventing the cushion from resting solidly on the unyielding forward longitudinal member of the top frame of the section B.

It will thus be seen that we have produced a simple and novel convertible couch the framework of which is formed in two sections the dimensions of which are xed and one of which has thereon a permanent seat cushion that serves also as a mattress, while there is a single loose cushion that performs the functions of a mattress for the second section and a back cushion for the seat section; whereby, with very little effort, the user may change over a convertible couch having comfortable seat and back cushions into a double bed of full height having comfortable mattress means or into two single beds of full height, each supplied with an adequate mattress. We therefore avoid the objection to a low bed arrangement that follows when a convertible couch is provided with two seat cushions, one above the other, the top cushion being removed and laid on top of the under section when the couch is opened. We also avoid the complications that result from making an under section that may be raised and lowered to provide a full` height bed. In additon, one of our mattresses serves efectively as a back cushion whereas, in prior couches of which we are aware, this has not been the case. It should also be noted that while one of our cushions is loose, it is not loose in the sense of a pillow that may be propped against a wall while resting upon a seat cushion; but, particularly where the back rest is employed,

this loose cushion constitutes a part of a couch having a seat in the back, so that the couch may be moved bodily from one position to another or stand away from the walls of a room without disturbing the loose cushion.

While we have illustrated and described with particularly only a `single preferred form of my invention, we do not desire to be limited to the exact structural details thus illustrated and described; but intend to cover all forms and arrangements which come within the definitions of our invention constituting the appended claims.

We claim:

1. A couch comprising a seat section and a second section, said seat section having a cushioned seat and a narrow yieldable mattress-supporting member extending lengthwise of the seat behind and a substantial distance below the top of the seat, said second section being of a height equal to that of the seat section less than the thickness of a mattress and being adapted normally to be housed under the seat section; and a loose cushion adapted to stand on edge on said mattress-supporting member when the couch is closed, and to lie flat on said second section and serve as a mattress for the latter when the couch is open.

2. A couch comprising a seat section and a second section, said seat section having a cushioned seat and a narrow yieldable mattress-supporting member extending lengthwise of the seat behind and a substantial distance below the top of the seat, said second section being of a height equal to that of the seat section less than the thickness of a mattress and being adapted normally to be housed under the seat section, a back rest at one long edge of said second section adapted to be positioned along the rear edge of said mattress-supporting member when the couch is closed; a loose cushion adapted torstand on JOSEPH W. BOWERSOX. STEPHEN J. BLAHA. 

